Franchise

Pods Moving And Storage Corporate Office

PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) was founded in Florida by Peter Warhurst in 1998. His family owned a moving and storage company, but he wanted to take it a step further. He invented the mobile storage unit, more commonly referred to as a shipping container or pod.

In 2007, Pods was acquired by Arcapita for $451.4 million. In 2012, Pods sued U-Haul for using the name Pod when referring to their U-Box product. U-Haul ended up paying Pods $62 million for infringement of copyright.

The new PODS containers have a steel frame construction with completely recyclable panels made of steel skins and a high-density polyethylene core and are produced in three sizes: approximately 8-by-7-by-7 feet, 8-by-8-by-12 feet, and 8-by-8-by-16 feet. The top is a translucent polymer, which allows some filtered light into the container.

Pods maintains a corporate office in Clearwater, Florida.

Pods

History

Pods maintains a corporate office in Clearwater, Florida.

Erbert and Gerbert’s Corporate Office

Kevin and Beth Schippers opened their first restaurant in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1988. The store name and sandwich names come from characters that Kevin’s father made up when he told him stories.

Kevin’s big desire wasn’t in sandwich making, so the couple sold the franchise business in 2003 to a group of investors. The original sandwich location on Water Street is still owned by Kevin and Beth.

In January 2020, the company announced that it was creating a plant-based sandwich that would be available for a limited time only.

Due to the coronavirus crisis and subsequent quarantine of 2020, the company began offering free delivery service with a $10 minimum order as of March 19, 2020, for a limited time.

In January 2023, the company opened a new location in Minnesota and announced plans for 7 more locations in the state later in the year.

The company continues to maintain its corporate office in Eau Clare, Wisconsin.

Erbert and Gerbert's Sandwich Shop

In January 2020, the company announced that it was creating a plant-based sandwich that would be available for a limited time only.

History

Due to the coronavirus crisis and subsequent quarantine of 2020, the company began offering free delivery service with a $10 minimum order as of March 19, 2020, for a limited time.

In January 2023, the company opened a new location in Minnesota and announced plans for 7 more locations in the state later in the year.

The company continues to maintain its corporate office in Eau Clare, Wisconsin.

Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park Corporate Office

Michael Browning imagined a place where kids could play safely indoors while parents had space to work or relax. Urban Air Adventure Park was founded in 2011 in Grapevine, Texas.

From a single location, the company now has over 65 locations that feature climbing walls, warrior obstacle courses, tube playgrounds, ropes courses, trapezes, spinning-and-flipping bumper cars, and trampolines.

The company had $166 million in revenue in 2018 and CEO Browning says he expects to clear $2.5 million in profit. Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2018 list of the “Franchise 500” placed Urban Air at No. 97 based on growth, financial strength, and stability out of more than 1,000 entries in this year’s competition.

Urban Air books 700-1,000 birthday parties every day. In early November 2019, one 10-year-old attending a birthday party fell from a zip line ride, breaking several bones.

In 2022/2023, the company continues to open new locations at a rapid pace, including Saginaw, Michigan, Rockford, Illinois, and Long Island, New York.

The company has headquarters in Milltown, New Jersey.

Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park

Michael Browning imagined a place where kids could play safely indoors while parents had space to work or relax. Urban Air Adventure Park was founded in 2011 in Grapevine, Texas.

History

Urban Air books 700-1,000 birthday parties every day. In early November 2019, one 10-year-old attending a birthday party fell from a zip line ride, breaking several bones.

In 2022/2023, the company continues to open new locations at a rapid pace, including Saginaw, Michigan, Rockford, Illinois, and Long Island, New York.

The company has headquarters in Milltown, New Jersey.

Art Van Furniture Corporate Office

Art Van Elslander founded his first furniture store in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959. Within one year, Elslander had opened 3 more locations but didn’t hire his first employee until the opening of his 4th store.

By 1963, Art Van Furniture had 7 stores and Elslander took on his brothers as partners. When the company reached 15 locations in 1973, Elslander could no longer do his office work at each location and the company purchased a building in Warren, Michigan, to use as a corporate office.

Today, the company has nearly 200 locations, with some of them franchises, in 7 states. Art Van Furniture also operates outlet locations and Art Van PureSleep Bedding.

Art Van Furniture was sold to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm, in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. The company estimates annual revenue in 2018 to be $1.4 billion.

The company sacked CEO Ron Boire after only a year on the job, citing that Elslander wanted change to occur more quickly. Gary Fazio was named CEO in 2018.

Headquarters for the company are still located in Warren, Michigan.

Art Van Furniture

History

Today, the company has nearly 200 locations, with some of them franchises, in 7 states. Art Van Furniture also operates outlet locations and Art Van PureSleep Bedding.

Art Van Furniture was sold to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm, in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. The company estimates annual revenue in 2018 to be $1.4 billion.

The company sacked CEO Ron Boire after only a year on the job, citing that Elslander wanted change to occur more quickly. Gary Fazio was named CEO in 2018.

Headquarters for the company are still located in Warren, Michigan.

Your Pizza Shop Corporate Office

The original Your Pizza location was founded by a family in Massillon, Ohio, in the 1950s. This family-owned business grew very slowly over the next few decades until 1978, when current CEO Dave Newstetter purchased the restaurant. He opened a second location in 1981.

Today, the company has 11 franchised locations in Ohio and Florida. Offering more than just pizza, the company also offers fish, wings, salads, special Italian foods, such as spaghetti, and other specialty pizzas.

In 2002, a newcomer to the neighborhood saw a sign above the Canton, Ohio, Your Pizza location that advertised a “420 Special”. Understanding this to be marijuana-related, the women asked that the sign be removed. After much protest, the sign was eventually removed, but the special pizza remained.

The company was named one of the best pizza franchises by Franchise Opportunity Blog in 2019.

Your Pizza Shop has future plans for expansion, including offering a sports bar, although the location has yet to be revealed.

The corporate office for Your Pizza Shop remains in Massillon, Ohio.

Your Pizza Shop

History

The company was named one of the best pizza franchises by Franchise Opportunity Blog in 2019.

Your Pizza Shop has future plans for expansion, including offering a sports bar, although the location has yet to be revealed.

The corporate office for Your Pizza Shop remains in Massillon, Ohio.